FLDS pay off all property taxes in Hildale
 
By Ben Winslow
Deseret Morning News
 
Past-due property taxes have now been paid in full on property and homes owned by the financial arm of the Fundamentalist LDS Church in the polygamous border town of Hildale.

The last payment — about $17,000 — was made Tuesday to the Washington County Treasurer's Office.

"It's been awesome; they just started coming in and making the payments in bits and chunks and cash and checks and whatever they could pay," said Michelle Jacobson, an accounting specialist in the Washington County Treasurer's Office. "It's kind of impressive, really."

The total tax bill for Hildale came to $256,117.01. A $10,641 late penalty that was tacked on was also paid, Jacobson said. She declined to say who paid the final tax bill, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

The court-appointed special fiduciary of the United Effort Plan Trust was pleased to hear about the taxes being paid.

"I'm very happy," Bruce Wisan said Tuesday. "I'm sorry that I had to go through that process."

Wisan said he plans to start serving tax notices en masse on Colorado City, Ariz., next.

In 2005, a Utah judge took control of the UEP Trust, which controls homes, businesses and property in the polygamous border towns of Hildale and Colorado City. Its assets are estimated at $110 million. The Utah Attorney General's Office claimed that fugitive FLDS leader Warren Jeffs and other trustees were fleecing the UEP. A judge froze the UEP's assets and placed Wisan in charge.

Since then, he has been trying to get people within the border towns to pay their property taxes, despite an edict from Jeffs telling his followers to "answer them nothing." Ex-FLDS Church members have been helping Wisan serve the property tax notices by hand — a painstaking task that requires them to knock on every door three times before taping the notices to the house.

"It's more like they're just resigned to pay their taxes," said Isaac Wyler, who said he has heard Jeffs' edict remains in place. "It's more like one of his prophecies that never comes true. They just gloss over it."

Wyler said it is easier for FLDS faithful to come up with the money for taxes because it is so cheap to live on UEP land, where homes are owned by the church, than to relocate to higher rents in St. George or Hurricane.

But it's not cheap to be a faithful FLDS member, Wyler explained.

"Warren soaks these people for a thousand dollars a month," he said. "It's an offering to keep the prophet out of jail. Pennies for the prophet. On top of that, you're still supposed to pay your tithe."

Wyler said he refused to pay the money when asked while he was a member of the FLDS Church.

Jeffs remains on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. He is charged in Utah and Arizona with sex crimes accusing him of forcing teenage girls into polygamous marriages with older men. Federal prosecutors have filed unlawful flight to avoid prosecution charges against him. A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said his office was still looking at Jeffs and the FLDS Church for a number of possible crimes, including an organized crime investigation. In an interview with the Deseret Morning News on Tuesday, Shurtleff said he doubted any criminal charges would be filed by his office until Jeffs was captured.

"We're not going to be able to finalize that until we get Warren and get his records," he said. "We've had people who have seen things. But, obviously, we need documentation. We don't have it."

Shurtleff said he was delighted that the property taxes had been paid.

"They're following the law now, they're submitting themselves to the jurisdiction of the state of Utah," he said. "It's something Warren Jeffs has yet to do."

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
 
deseretnews.com
Originally published Wednesday, June 21, 2006
 
Back